Tripoli , Libya -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The alleys and archways along Rashid Street in central Tripoli were plunged in darkness this weekend , as the Libyan capital struggled to cope with widespread shortages of electricity .

After sunset , the only light in one corner cafe came from two candles . Their flickering glow barely lit the faces of men seated at a handful of tables , where they were breaking their Ramadan fast .

Nearby , residents trudged down the center of empty streets enveloped in darkness . Some men played music from parked cars . Others sat silently in doorways , their presence only marked by the glow of a cigarette butt .

`` It 's a disaster . My father 's neighborhood has n't had electricity for five straight days , '' said one Libyan man who asked not to be named , for fear of attracting the ire of government authorities . He said he evacuated his entire family to Egypt and was staying behind to keep an eye on his property .

The rapid deterioration of power supplies in Tripoli over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans . Some residents complain pumps have stopped channeling water to their apartment buildings , leaving them without both water and light .

This week , a nightly talk show that fiercely supports Moammar Gadhafi on state television addressed the growing problem of the black-outs .

`` The Tripoli power cuts are caused by NATO and rebel attacks on power stations , '' announced a television presenter on Thursday .

Frustration could be felt at a recent government press conference , when a Libyan man repeatedly pressed Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim on why some Tripoli neighborhoods had power while others suffered black-outs for days .

`` Surely a large country like Libya does n't depend on one power station , '' the Libyan man said .

Kaim responded by accusing NATO warplanes and Libyan rebels of attacking power stations , high-voltage lines and pipelines .

In an e-mail to CNN , NATO military spokesman denied accusations that the alliance targeted Libyan electrical power lines .

`` There is no evidence to suggest that if the country 's power lines have been damaged , such an event could be linked to a NATO strike , '' the spokesman wrote .

The Gadhafi regime is struggling under an international blockade of its seaports and airports . Shortages of gas have been a fact of daily life for months now , with drivers waiting days in line at gas stations for fuel .

`` One liter of petrol , 4 dinars ! '' a taxi driver yelled on Saturday , as he thumped a plastic jug full of fuel sitting in the back passenger seat of his car . That is roughly the equivalent of 13 dollars for a gallon of gasoline , a huge price surge in a country long accustomed to cheap , heavily subsidized fuel . Until anti-Gadhafi protests first erupted last February , Libya was a major oil-exporting country . Since then , oil exports have slowed to a trickle .

Hopes for a reprieve in the fuel shortages were dashed this week when the regime in Tripoli announced rebels somehow seized control of the fuel tanker ship Cartagena off the coast of Malta .

Kaim denounced the capture of the ship and its cargo of tens of thousands of tons of gasoline , calling it an act of international piracy .

`` The tanker was taken with the help of NATO to Benghazi and it arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon to Benghazi seaport , '' Kaim said on Friday .

`` The age of piracy is coming back to the Mediterranean because of NATO , '' Kaim concluded .

The Reuters news agency has distributed video filmed Thursday of the tanker Cartagena sailing into the Libyan rebel capital of Benghazi .

According to the energy trade publication Petroleum Economist , the Cartagena was the property of the Libyan state-owned shipping company GNMTC .

`` The MV Cartagena was outside Maltese territorial waters , '' an official from the Maltese Foreign Ministry wrote to CNN in an e-mail , after being asked about allegations of the ship 's capture by rebels .

A NATO spokesman in Naples , Italy , wrote to CNN , `` On the afternoon of 3 August a NATO warship established visual and voice contact with the MT Cartagena and found the crew cooperative . NATO concluded that the ship could proceed to its next port of call Benghazi . Following this decision the NATO warships returned to their patrol duties and did not escort the ship to Benghazi as suggested in some media reports . ''

Meanwhile , tempers were flaring at the Ghot al-Shaal shopping district in western Tripoli , where almost all the shops were dark and stifling hot due to the lack of electricity and air-conditioning .

`` We 've had no power all day , how are we going to work like this ? '' said one angry merchant as he stalked out of his women 's clothing shop .

`` At a time like this people want air-conditioning , '' said 26-year old Ridha Abdullah , who runs a children 's clothing store . Abdullah said the power outages began within the last two weeks .

`` God willing it will be fixed , if NATO would stop and leave us alone to resolve our problems , '' Abdullah added .

At a nearby fruit and vegetable bazaar , some passersby yelled pro-Gadhafi chants and vowed to stand strong against rebel and NATO attacks . One man carrying a shopping bag stopped to accuse foreign journalists of being the cause of the crisis .

But , as is often the case in public places , other Libyans discreetly approached CNN reporters to whisper messages of dissent against the Gadhafi regime .

`` The government is lying and the rebels will be in Tripoli soon , '' one man said nervously , before quickly walking away .

`` Gadhafi not good , '' said another young man , who smiled at a reporter before he climbed into a car and drove away .

One store owner decided to deal with summer heat and lack of electricity by simply closing shop early .

`` I 'm going to the beach to cool down , '' the man said with a smile , as he pulled down the heavy metal shutters that covered his shop windows .

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Government blames NATO , rebels

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Some Tripoli residents no longer get water pumped to their apartments

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Libyan official denounces rebel seizure of oil tanker

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There is international blockade of Libyan airports , seaports